The Cat Empire was, by its own admission, underprepared for recording its sixth album—but not out of negligence. Used to rehearsing tracks meticulously before setting foot in the studio, the multiplatinum-selling six-piece decided to mix things up for its new record by creating the album live in the studio.

“In the past we would have been a bit stressed about our lack of groundwork,” drummer Will Hull-Brown tells the Straight, on the line from his hotel in Quebec, “but it’s really paid off. So much more than on any of our previous records, we could be fresh in the studio. With the song ‘Wolves’, for example, we did the whole thing in one take. We started jamming on a groove, and then hit Record when we felt it was in the sweet spot. You can get a track down five times, but by the time you’ve taped the fifth cut, it doesn’t have the same energy as the first. We wanted to grab hold of the good vibe, even if it’s a bit raw.”

The Cat Empire’s lack of rehearsal brought its latest studio offering, Rising With the Sun, in line with its high-octane live shows. Originally spawned 17 years ago from a nine-piece jazz band, the Australian darlings draw on their roots to ad-lib eclectic solos on calypso jam “Daggers Drawn”, while “Blasting Away” and “Creature” blend rich brass riffs with a tropical disco feel. Himself a trained jazz drummer, Hull-Brown is excited that Rising With the Sun uses improvisation to showcase the group’s Caribbean-infused sound.

“It’s great that our jazz mindset—which has a huge influence on what we do on-stage—has translated to this album,” Hull-Brown says. “Our background is what makes us unique: we’re definitely not a pop band that plays verse-chorus-verse-chorus. After the second chorus we don’t know what’s going to happen, and neither does the audience.

“We’ve reined that improv in a little bit for the record, though,” he continues, “which is probably a good thing. Improvisation has a certain amount of risk to it, and normally it goes great, but sometimes it can fall flat on its face. I can think of moments when we’re playing live and Harry [James Angus, vocalist and trumpeter] will be doing all sorts of weird gestures to get us to do something, and we haven’t quite understood what he wants. Imagine Mr. Burns from The Simpsons trying to coach the Springfield Isotopes baseball team. It’s nice to have things a bit more solidified on the album, while still maintaining that vibe.”

The band’s penchant for letting loose is not limited to just the album’s sound. With multiple tracks named after powerful animals—“Wolves”, “Bulls”, and “Eagles”—the new record aims to engage with the audience’s animalistic side.

“Everyone has that animal instinct in them,” Hull-Brown says. “No matter what you do in your life day to day, I think people constantly have the desire to break free. And I think you get to do that with music. When you see a band, or you listen to some great songs, you can forget everything else that you might be stressed about. You can just become free and go into this other world. That’s what Rising With the Sun is all about—living in the moment, and releasing your inner wolf.”

The Cat Empire plays the Commodore Ballroom on Tuesday and Wednesday (August 2 and 3).